


Covered in the Colors

by argentress



Series: Pretty Sounds [4]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Blurryface Era, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Internalized Biphobia, Pride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-08 13:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19107718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/argentress/pseuds/argentress
Summary: Sometimes Tyler forgets that Pride applies to her now.At this point their families are aware that she and Jos are more than just “roommates,” but while it wasn’t met with the derision she’d expected, it still wasn’t something she went around proclaiming. And that’s exactly what attending Pride would be: a proclamation.





	Covered in the Colors

**Author's Note:**

> Thinking about my girls going to their first Pride has got me feeling some type of way. Big thanks to Ezra for the idea.

It’s Mark’s idea.

Tyler can barely remember what city they’re in, let alone have the wherewithal to look into local events, but Mark’s always been better at that anyway. Every time someone asks her how she’s liking _____ in an interview Tyler looks pointedly at Jos, and tries to come up with a generic enough answer that won’t get her called out on the internet. (It doesn’t work, of course, her Twitter mentions are already full of screenshots of her face looking _just_ on the side of panic before she recovers, but the clique laughing at her is nothing new, and honestly she enjoys how snarky they get about it.) His ideas are usually things like local coffee shops, or must-see landmarks, but she shouldn’t be surprised that a special month includes a special recommendation.

Sometimes Tyler forgets that Pride applies to her now. It was something she didn’t pay much attention to growing up, and she had maybe one or two friends who’d used it as an excuse to get drunk in public her freshman year of college before it dropped off her radar. It’s still a foreign landscape to her, something mysterious and vaguely threatening. At this point their families are aware that she and Jos are more than just “roommates,” but while it wasn’t met with the derision she’d expected, it still wasn’t something she went around proclaiming. And that’s exactly what attending Pride would be: a proclamation.

But when Jos’ eyes light up at the suggestion Tyler finds it hard to listen to the anxiety pooling in her stomach, instead giving over to the familiar impulse of wanting to give the older girl anything that would make her happy.

\- - -

Downtown, Pride is a sea of color.

Tyler doesn’t think she’s ever seen so much color in her entire life, and despite the worry that trembles in her bones, she can’t help smiling. They both seem bland by comparison, Tyler in a black tank top, Jos in white, just trying to beat the heat and grabbing whatever was clean from their tour wardrobe. Still, Jos looks like she belongs there, her Mohawk (currently a light pink color) covered by a snapback, her tattoos and gauges not even warranting a second glance. Tyler muses briefly that she can never remember where they are, but she _can_ mark the passage of time by Jos’ changing hair colors.

The other girl buys a rainbow flag at the first booth they come across, draping it over her shoulders and tucking it under the straps of her sports bra. Tyler tries to not let her first thought be panic, focusing instead on what the flag _means_ , what this whole day means. Pride. There’s a part of her that still feels like she doesn’t deserve that word, that pride is for people that know themselves completely, who don’t have doubts in the darkness of 2:00 am, even as their girlfriend snores softly next to them. She loves Jos, more than she’s ever loved anyone in her entire life, but there’s still that voice in the shadows that tells her she’ll never truly belong anywhere.

Mark stops for a beer at one of the booths, striking up a conversation with one of the guys waiting next to him. Tyler watches as a hand reaches out to cover his, a coy smile on shining, full lips, and she holds her breath. But Mark only laughs, telling him he’s flattered, but that he’s just there as an ally. The young man looks over Mark’s shoulder at her and Jos, taking note of the flag Jos is wearing like a cape, and gives them a wink with a smile. Tyler feels some of the tension dissipate from her stomach as she returns it, turning to glance at Jos, who’s also smiling broadly.

They make their way down the street, stopping at booths occasionally, but mostly just taking everything in. Tyler keeps waiting for the recognition to come, for a pair of eyes to rest on them just a beat too long, for that creeping feeling to crawl across her shoulders, but it never comes. She makes eye contact with other people sporadically, as her eyes scan over the event, and each time she’s met with a smile. Mark’s beer makes him chatty, and he and Jos laugh loudly with abandon. Each time she glances around, expecting it to draw attention, but no one even turns their head. And Tyler lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

Slowly she reaches out, an inch at a time, until she can lace her fingers with Jos’. The older girl glances down at their joined hands in surprise, coming back up to meet Tyler’s eyes with a smile. Tyler finds it easy to return, and she gives the other girl a quick squeeze before looking back out over the event. She watches for a moment, for eyes to turn to them, for someone to say something, but everything just keeps going. Nothing, and no one, takes notice, and for the first time, maybe in her entire life, Tyler finds peace in being inconspicuous.

\- - -

They stop for food at one of the booths, finding an unoccupied patch of grass at the nearby park to sit down and eat. Mark pulls out his phone, snapping pictures and quick clips of video, focusing on the activity around them, rather than their own little group. At first Tyler’s grateful. Mark has been their secret keeper for as long as she can remember, and she’s never doubted that she can count on him to not put her in a situation she’s not ready for. But as she watches the people around her, couples taking pictures with the city behind them, friends laughing as they all struggle to smoosh into frame, envy starts to wash over her. Just once she wants to know what it feels like to not look over her shoulder, to not care who’s watching.

Mark takes note of her frown, and scrambles to stuff the phone in his pocket. “Sorry T. Nothing of you guys, I promise.”

“No, no, it’s fine. You, you don’t have to put it away. If you don’t want to.”

“Oh. Okay.” Mark slowly withdraws his phone, while Jos looks down at her food wordlessly, a small smile on her face. “Do you want me to take a picture of you and Jos?”

That feeling is back in her stomach, and it gives Tyler pause. “Maybe later.”

“Yeah, sure. No worries.” Tyler glances at Jos, but if she’s disappointed Tyler doesn’t catch it.

They’re almost done with lunch (and Tyler is almost done with the sun beating down on them), when she notices a girl making her way toward them, from over Jos’ shoulder. She looks their age, maybe a bit older, and is wearing a homemade tutu with strips of pink, purple, and blue tulle over a white body suit. There’s no recognition in her eyes, but still Tyler feels a clenching hand around her stomach, the familiar panic that she’s been “caught” settling over her shoulders. She makes eye contact with Tyler briefly, smiling, before she crouches down next to Jos’ right elbow.

“Okay, I can see your tattoo from like, ten feet away, but I can’t figure out what it is.”

Jos turns, laughing with surprise, and holds out her arm. “It’s a tree, and then I’ve got some galaxy and sunset stuff going on up top.”

“Do you mind if I—?” The other girl gestures to reach for the arm and Jos nods. She turns it over slowly, looking at it from all sides, before letting out a sigh. “Damn, that’s some nice work. Did you get it done locally?”

“No, we’re actually from out of town. Just visiting.” Jos tips her head toward Tyler and Mark, and the other girl smiles at them warmly.

“Oh nice, you picked the perfect time to visit.” She laughs and Mark and Jos join in, Tyler piping up a few moments late. “Well, have a great time guys!”

She gets up to leave and the words burst out of Tyler unbidden. “I like your skirt.”

The girl glances down at it smiling, plumping it up a bit before she turns back to Tyler. “Thanks. Bi pride, baby.”

Tyler laughs as she flounces off, still buzzing with her words. _Bi pride._ It’s the first time she’s heard the word from someone else’s lips. Whenever she says it it doesn’t feel quite right, like her mouth struggles to form the word, but from the other girl it flows effortlessly, like breathing. Tyler rolls it over in her mind, feels every edge as she tries to make it fit into the growing picture of how she sees herself. Maybe she’d been trying too hard to force it where it didn’t belong, had ignored the perfectly shaped place waiting for it. She’s still not sure she belongs here, that this is really for her, but maybe it could be.

\- - -

With lunch finished, and Tyler’s shoulders beginning to pink, they decide it’s time to head back to the bus. She thinks covetously of the shower awaiting her, every inch of her body feeling sticky with sweat. Jos still has a wide smile on her face, and Tyler doesn’t think there’s anything on Earth that could wipe it off. Mark pulls out his phone to take some last pictures, and Tyler watches him, her mind racing. She wants to know what it’s like, just for a minute, even if it’s just for them, and this time she speaks up.

“Hey, will you take a picture of Jos and I?”

Mark looks pleased as punch at the request, and Tyler can’t help laughing. “Of course. Go stand over there so I can get the skyline in the background.”

They follow his finger to a patch of grass a few steps to their left, shuffling over until he deems them in the “perfect” spot. Jos’ arm finds its familiar place over Tyler’s shoulders, and Tyler slips her arm around Jos’ back. They both smile broadly, as Mark snaps a few pictures, and Tyler glances over at Jos. The other girl looks so happy, so comfortable, her freckles dark against her sun-kissed cheeks. Tyler always was a sucker for those freckles.

Before she can think too hard about it Tyler reaches up with her free hand, cupping it against Jos’ face, and pulling the older girl closer, until she can lean over and press her lips against Jos’ cheek. Jos laughs and the pink of her cheeks deepens, a blush blooming across her face. Tyler smiles against her cheek before kissing her again, pulling her even closer against her lips. She can just barely hear Mark laughing, and Tyler can smell sunscreen and Jos’ coconut shampoo. All the tension drains from her shoulders, and Tyler finally feels it: pride.

It’s her favorite picture Mark has ever taken.


End file.
